Well Dressed and Worrisome
by yesiwritephanfiction
Summary: Phil, a 27 year old English professor, can't help but notice his 23 year old student, Dan, who sees himself as uninteresting.
1. Chapter 1

_Yeah, so it's a teacher fic hahaha... had to at some point hahah_

_I started out intending for it to be a one-shot, but I liked the characters too much_

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><p>Dan squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, his pants growing tighter as he looked over the long, well dressed form of his professor, Mr. Lester.<p>

He was famous amongst the girls all over the campus, and even more famous among the boys.

Mr. Lester walked around the classroom, speaking with hands, speaking so articulately. Dan had never found intelligence so attractive, until he took this class.

Fortunately for Dan, he always sat in the back of the classroom. He was pretty certain that his professor hardly realized he was back there.

Although, it wasn't a particularly large classroom either.

"Daniel, is it?" Mr. Lester paused, like he normally does in his lectures to ask for a student's thoughts. But he never asked for his own.

"Dan," he stammered out, his palms already becoming sweatier than they were before. "Call me Dan."

"Dan then," he corrected himself, the fluorescent lights from above causing a glare in his glasses and obscuring the view of his eyes for a moment. He continued with his question.

Despite his sweaty palms and racing heart, Dan managed to settle his mind as he listened to the question.

As he finished with his response he realized how out of breath he had become and felt as if were panting like he had run a marathon. He was certain that everyone had heard him losing and now trying to catch his breath. He was glad however, that he even had a response to give as he loved reading and literature and nearly every reading assignment there professor had set turned out to be fantastic.

"Thank you, Dan," his professor flashed a brilliant smile, and Dan thought his heart was going to burst from his chest as the lecture continued.

_You're not a fucking fourteen year old girl. What the hell is your problem? _Dan berated himself.

There was no possible way that Mr. Lester was unaware of the gossip about him and the way the girls, and boys, talked about him.

He did have a sort of innocent look about him, but the insights he shared with the class were far too mature that he couldn't also have a mature sense of humor, and didn't let on that he had a dirty mind.

Or he was completely wrong about his professor and he kept a completely professional mindset while in class or around campus.

For all Dan knew, Mr. Lester could be the clubbing type, and getting laid, or have a serious relationship with a woman.

And he was dying to know what the case was.

As class ended and students began to shuffle out and gather their things, Dan's mind refocused to the present moment.

He managed to find himself as the last student in the classroom and with that realization he scrambled to gather up his books and folder and stuff them into his over the shoulder bag.

As he tried to slip his folder quickly into his bag, however, he managed to catch one side of it on the lining of his bag and with the force of his shoving, his folder flung out and his papers were strewn across the floor.

He was painfully aware that his professor was still lingering in the classroom as well.

Dan reached out for his papers and he looked up, realizing that his professor was approaching him while he was knelt on the floor.

"Here," Mr. Lester said softly and sank to his knees as well and began to help gather up the thin sheets of paper.

Still kneeling, Dan looked up and then at the stack of papers his professor offered to him.

"Er, thanks," he said quietly, taking the papers and slipping them into the appropriate pocket of his folder.

"Sure, Dan."

His professor hadn't moved from his position on the floor and as Dan slipped his folder into his bag, for once getting it right, Mr. Lester added in his deep, warm voice, "Thanks for sharing today. You never really speak up in class and I really enjoy reading your papers when you hand them in."

Dan's face grew warm, and he stuttered out another thank you, unable to hold eye contact with the older man for longer than about .2 seconds. His eyes were far too beautiful and searching that he was certain he'd lose himself in them and make a fool of himself.

Mr. Lester gently put a hand at the sleeve of Dan's jumper and helping him to his feet. Once stood, he glanced to his side, then at his professor as briefly as he could, as his heart pounded. The feeling of his hand was strong, and Dan knew he was very capable of hurting someone. But at the same time, his touch was very tender and gentle, supportive of him.

Mr. Lester dropped his hand, retracting it almost as if he had been stung, as if he had touched an electric fence that bound him from Dan.

"I'll see you in class on Wednesday?"

"Yeah," he replied, walking around Mr. Lester and towards the door.

"Have a nice afternoon."

Dan glanced back and said, "You as well," before scurrying out of the room.

He walked out into the room, heaving out a deep breath.

_You fucking idiot. You utter, complete twat. Why the fuck do you have to be such a klutz? _Dan reprimanded himself for the umpteenth time.

_You've made an absolute fool of yourself._

Dan ran a hand across his sweaty brow, cringing.

_You're such a fucking mess. _

But as he replayed the entire event in his mind, another thing occurred to him. _He likes my papers. He likes my papers. _Suddenly Dan had a goofy grin on his face as he walked out of the building and headed towards the cafeteria.

He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, trying not to smile.

"Ah, I see Lester's got you all love-sick again," Dan's mischievous friend, Chris, appeared at his side, falling into step beside him.

Nerves dissipated, and mind relaxed once again he replied calmly, "Well, can you blame me?"

"Not really," Chris replied, and the young men grinned at each other.

Their paths always converged just outside the cafeteria where they would meet another one of their friends, PJ.

Chris and Dan went and bought their lunch and joined PJ at a circular table in a far corner of the cafeteria.

"You know you could totally shag him," he said to Dan, earning gasps from him as he nearly inhaled his soda. PJ and Chris both laughed wildly at him.

"Are you mad? Of course I couldn't." Dan argued when he caught his breath, scowling at the pair of them.

"Sure you could. Isn't he only, like, 27?" PJ said.

"How should I know?"

"Well, that's what I've heard, anyway." He replied, already immune to Dan's snarky attitude that he'd adopted as of late.

"Well, even if he is just a few years older than me, I'm still his student. Which, is still illegal and he could be sacked. He's a brilliant teacher and I don't want him to lose his job just because I'm a horn-dog."

"So you've admitted it then," Chris smirked at Dan.

"No use trying to keep it a secret. From you two, at least."

"Not that you could hide it." PJ added quickly and Dan shot him a look, raising a hand as if he were about to tell PJ off but gave up.

"Besides, you're definitely not the only one."

Chris nodded off towards the cafeteria entrance, and Dan looked up.

His overwhelmingly attractive teacher was getting himself lunch and Chris said something about everyone checking him out that Dan never really registered, but he glanced around and hell. Chris was right.

Nearly everyone in the cafeteria was looking his way.

But considering his own gawking, he couldn't judge them.

However, Chris and PJ were sure that Dan's eyes rested on their professor for much longer than anyone else's.

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><p>Dan, Dan, Dan.<p>

Never had one of Phil's students ever caught his attention quite like Dan did. But then again, he'd only been teaching for two years.

And he felt awful.

He must've made the poor young man feel so awkward.

He truly loved everything Dan wrote in his papers and was glad that he had shared in class. He was an awfully quiet student, but he had brilliant thoughts and he wanted the other students to know.

He was intelligent… and far too handsome for his own good.

While Phil was capable of keeping his mind clear during class, he often thought of Dan as he lie in bed and considered…

He shook the thoughts from his mind, hoping for the same effect that would do to an etch-a-sketch but it didn't help much.

He headed into the cafeteria for lunch, as he was growing hungry. He always woke up very early, so the time between his breakfast and lunch was rather long.

He collected and paid for his lunch and he passed through to the other side of the cafeteria, where he could exit the building and sit at a stone table.

As he walked through, his eyes slid over to notice Dan sitting around a table with his two friends, watching him pass by.

Phil offered him a small nod and half a smile, and involuntarily gulped painfully.

I mean, how else was he supposed to greet him, yet keep it minimal and professional?

He cringed as he turned towards the back doors to the cafeteria, adjusting his glasses.

_You socially awkward twat, _he shook his head to himself so minutely that it almost wasn't visible to anyone looking on.

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><p>"Did he just?" Chris suddenly said, looking over at Dan, who had grown warm sitting there.<p>

Their table had earned quite a few curious looks from their peers around the cafeteria and Dan slumped in his seat, attempting to make himself as small as possible.

Which was difficult for someone with a height of over six feet.

Luckily, the incident blew over and anyone previously interested enough, had then lost interest in their table and returned to their own conversations.

That afternoon Dan had another class and then he was free to catch the bus and head back to his flat that he shared with Chris.

He seemed to spend more and more time alone here as Chris was spending an increasingly large amount of time with PJ at his flat.

He wondered what would happen is Chris eventually moved in with PJ.

Dan would have to find some place more affordable, or a new roommate.

They lived comfortably already, if you could call what Chris did, living there.

Once he arrived home, he began to work on the next paper his professor assigned. He honestly enjoyed these papers because Mr. Lester gave them a lot of freedom with them and he enjoyed the novels and plays they were based off of.

The paper wasn't due until the following Monday, but he had completed the first draft that night.

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><p><em>But yeah, I can't really guarantee much with this story, as I got myself stuck again ahhaa but I really wanted to see what people think and am kind of proud of myself for the quality of the writing<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_So I haven't updated in a while, thought I'd just go ahead and post another chapter of this fic. Even though I'm still in the middle of chapter three on microsoft word. But I am making a bit of progress with it as well as my other ideas. Slow progress, but progress._

_Anyways, hope you enjoy._

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><p>It was Wednesday and Dan arrived early to class as he was unsure where Chris and PJ had gone after their previous class.<p>

Perhaps they had found a supply closet to have a quick shag.

He cringed. _Why do you do this shit to yourself, Dan?_

He found his usual seat in the back of the classroom and tried to calm his nerves. Students began to file in one by one or two by two over the next few minutes.

Their professor arrived shortly, taking long strides into the room.

"Good morning, guys." He took his over-the-shoulder bag off and put it on the desk at the front of the room.

He seemed tired, Dan thought.

"I hope you've all at least got started on your next paper," he looked around the room, earning a few shamed faces from the other students and grinned.

His eyes paused as they landed on Dan and he couldn't help but let a small smile tug on his lips. He had finished the paper, but he doubted anyone realized.

Their professor began his lecture for the day, and luckily, Dan was not asked any questions about any play or novel.

Yet, he seemed to lose himself in the way Mr. Lester moved about the front of the room, talking with his hands. He had his button up shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and damn did it cling to his chest and shoulders so perfectly.

His dark slacks looked fantastic over his long legs as well and it wasn't long before Dan had to shift in his chair painfully.

Dazedly, he found himself the last student in the classroom again when the lecture ended and he hurriedly gathered up his books. He stood and began to head for the exit.

"I trust that you've begun your paper, Dan," his professor said, stopping him in his tracks.

If it weren't for the respect he had for him, Dan would have pretended he didn't hear the question and continued out into the hall.

"Er, yes, sir," He said, and he began to blush furiously at his choice of words.

It was far too pornographically cheesy, but perhaps he was the only one that thought so.

_Get your head out of the gutters, Dan. _

"It is coming along well?"

"It's fine, thanks." _Now can I please leave before my heart explodes?_

"Alright… Er, have a nice afternoon then, Dan."

"Thanks, professor." Dan propelled himself forward, towards the corridor, then at the last minute he turned and said, "You too."

That afternoon, Dan couldn't find Chris or PJ, and he didn't want to wait for them before he bought his own lunch, ate, and left for the library.

He ate quickly, letting his eyes scan the room for them, but they never showed. Within ten minutes he was dumping his trash into a bin and leaving the cafeteria again, heading towards the other side of campus.

He walked quickly, eager to get out of the sun and when he stepped inside the quiet building he breathed a sigh of relief.

The library wasn't always very busy, but it seemed like most of the tables were taken up today. He dropped his books into the book return chute and made his way towards the isles of books.

Fiction was his genre of choice, and he read nearly every sub-genre.

He found two books he figured he'd be able to complete in three weeks and checked them out.

Heading towards the back of the library, he noticed that most of the tables were still being taken up by other students. The last one left available was a larger, rectangular table. He sat down at one end, laying his bag across the table, and opened up one of his books.

He tuned in easily, the words filling his head and transporting him to another world.

He forgot about the sounds of the other students or campus employees. He didn't hear the sound of quiet chatting, or books being stacked or slid back into or out of place, or the sound of the computers that the librarians were working on.

"Dan?"

He nearly jolted in his seat at the sound of his professor's voice. He looked up and into the hesitant light-colored eyes of Mr. Lester.

"Professor," he replied, looking at him expectantly and was proud that his voice sounded even for once.

"Is it alright if I sit at this table? All the other tables are taken."

Dan glanced around. All of the other tables were indeed full still. He looked back at his professor, determined to keep a straight face. "Sure. I don't care." _Do you realize what you do to me?_

Mr. Lester chose a spot at the other end of the table to boot up his laptop and Dan attempted to zone back into his book.

Unfortunately, he was agonizingly aware that his professor was sat there, clicking away on his keyboard.

He eventually gave up and shut his book. He reached into his jacket pocket and got out his phone. He found that he had a couple of texts from Chris.

_Hey Dan_

The second message read,

_Won't be back at the flat tonight. Gonna stay with PJ_

Dan sighed, and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He put his books into his bag and stood, leaving the desk and walking out of the library.

It was about time that he caught the bus to get home anyway.

Dan was unaware of the way his professor looked over at him in concern, noticing the tension in his jaw and the force of his movements.

What on earth was frustrating this boy so much?

Phil noticed that he had read something off of his phone and sighed audibly.

He watched him go, curious and concerned.

Now, as a teacher, it was natural for him to be worried about a student, but… this was bordering on a more intimate concern for Dan's wellbeing and it was troubling him.

After Phil had graded the online assignments his students had submitted he bagged up his laptop and made his own way of the library.

In the parking lot he found his car and climbed in, desperate to get out of the sun. He put his bag in the passenger seat and turned on the AC when he started the engine.

He drove away from the campus and out of the busy downtown streets towards his quiet neighborhood.

He currently rented a small, but modern townhouse. He was glad it was small; otherwise a bigger place would have seemed much emptier.

He lived alone, and he was painfully aware of it as his keys echoed when he laid them on the granite counter in his kitchen, and when he reheated leftovers for dinner.

Phil had found himself in the habit of re-reading Dan's papers before he handed them back to the class. He was still going through a free write prompt he had assigned the class.

It was a strange thing, he knew, but he imagined Dan sitting across from him, reciting the words on the paper and that he didn't have to eat dinner alone.

_For me, reading has always been a chance to escape. My life has always been so ordinary and boring. It's why I love fiction so much. I can go to another world so much more interesting than my own. I can step into the shoes of a character much more courageous or interesting than myself._

_I can kind of forget about everything for a couple of hours and live another life. I can forget about waking up at six AM and serving coffee to grumpy middle-aged business men and teenage girls with way too long, loud nails. I can forget that it feels like my best friend hardly lives me with anymore. I can forget that I'm a socially awkward, unaccomplished, lonely 23 year old._

_For me, reading lets me forget. _

Dan.

If only he could see how truly brilliant and interesting he was. Phil sort of wanted to take this piece of paper and wave it in his face and say, "You brilliant idiot!"

He wrote a little note on the corner, which was something he generally did for all of his students, that read: _You're not boring or uninteresting. Life can still be significant. Great response as always _

He went through the last of the papers, glad that he'd be able to hand them back on Monday and collect the next set of papers from them as well. Well, mostly he was interested in what Dan was writing.

He sighed heavily and cleared his place at the dining table, insisting to himself that he definitely was not lonely. And he definitely did not have a crush on his student.

No, he didn't have a crush.

The next morning Phil found this little coffee shop near the school campus. He normally did not drink coffee, but on this particular morning he was really feeling the consequences of staying up until 2 AM thinking about a certain student.

He stepped into the small shop, the little bell by the door jingled. He could smell rich coffee beans and hear blenders whirring as the employees quickly fixed things for the customers.

The line was moving along a bit quickly. He had no idea what to choose from the menu.

Once he reached the beginning of the line, the cashier stood taller after emptying some change into the drawer.

Phil found himself staring unapologetically into Dan's soft, brown eyes. He blinked, disbelieving.

"Er, good morning sir. What can we get you?" Dan asked, a hint of embarrassment slipping through his voice when he realized his well dressed, probably nice-car-owning professor was standing on the other side of the counter.

"Dan?"

"Sir," he replied.

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you at first in your uniform."

"No worries. What would you like this morning?"

"Well, I'm not sure. What do you recommend?"

Dan's eyes lit up, and Phil's heart thudded unevenly in his chest. "I've got just the thing. You'll love it. On me, okay?"

Despite that Dan's knees began to wobble, he felt a bit more at ease where he worked. He had been here so long that all of steps to run the register had become second nature. He was confident behind the register.

"No, Dan. I doubt you could hardly- I mean, it's not necessary." Phil began to refuse but Dan waved him off.

"Nonsense. I'll fix you something good, alright?"

"Er, alright. Thanks, Dan."

"Your welcome, professor. What name should I write on the cup when it's done?"

"Oh, er, Phil." He said to Dan. "Yeah, it'd be sort of weird if you wrote professor on my coffee cup, huh?"

Dan smiled widely at him, a full blown dimpled smile and _damn, does this young man know what he could get himself with a smile like that._

Phil stood over to one side of the small shop, waiting for his drink to come up at the counter. It was a short wait and Dan called, "Phil," in a voice louder than he had ever heard him speak before.

"It's kind of hot so be careful and have a nice day." He told Phil when he approached the counter.

"Thanks. You too, Dan." As Dan turned away Phil slipped a five pound note into the tip jar without him noticing.

As he exited the building, Phil noticed that Dan, aside from his name, had written on the cardboard cup:

_Enjoy your caramel cappuccino and be careful its hot – Dan _

Dan even added a little smiley face at the end in his quick scrawl. He couldn't help but grin widely as he made his way back to his car and then to the campus.

No. It certainly wasn't a crush.

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><p><em>Hope you liked it<em>

_Reviews are like caramel coffee and cute waiters heheh  
><em>

_Also, am I getting better at writing as if these things actually take place in the UK? "five pound note" that's basically like saying five dollar bill, right? but in pounds?  
><em>

_hahaha i'm an idiot  
><em>


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